Week 3: Any Age Any Body

CrossFit has grown with the idea, concepts, and training methods based around Greg Glassman the founder of CrossFit, Inc. in 2000.  Greg Glassman openedhis first box in 1995 in Santa Cruz, California.  Glassman creating a program that has helped mold the minds and bodies of the athletes of CrossFit all over the world.  Each athlete having their own individuality of what CrossFit means or what CrossFit has done for them.  This is the one true sport that everyone can do.  This is one of the reasons CrossFit has caught on in the past decade as everyone has their own style and desire on what they want to get out of doing CrossFit. 

While going to Denver, Colorado to get my level 1 certification to be a trainer; I learned this sport is truly for everyone.  This became apparent when the trainers of CrossFit box spoke about an athlete who was in their 70's doing CrossFit workouts, this individual who was older also had parkinson's disease.  To me all I could think about was how does someone in their 70's and with parkinson's do CrossFit workouts, it was simple by scaling the workouts to what that individual was able to do.  As I found out that athlete used a PVC pipe for their workouts and everyone saw progressions in that athletes functional body movement and physical capacity from when they first started.  This is a reason why CrossFit is for everyone and why there should be no excuses on why someone is not able to be active and live a somewhat healthy lifestyle.

Week 2: Getting everyone involved

After a few consecutive hard workouts of the day (WOD), athletes from all over come out to join in the festivties of CrossFit Tolero's Saturday WOD.  Every Saturday for existing and new athletes is a day of a good relaxing WOD and a time when they are able to work on the different nine functional movements of CrossFit.

9 Functional Movements of CrossFit

• Air Squat
• Front Squat
• Overhead Squat
• Shoulder Press
• Push Press
• Push Jerk
• Deadlift
• Sumo Deadlift High Pull
• Medicine Ball Clean

These are the nine funcitonal movements of CrossFit and each WOD is based around these types of movements.  Have functional movements in every WOD is important as it provides movements that everyone is capable of doing.  CrossFit has been created to work from everyone from a toddler beginning to walk to the older generations who do not get much physical activity.  CrossFit is for everyone as each WOD and movment is scaled to what pushes that individual.  Everyone is different and that is how CrossFit works.  One person maybe able to lift twice their weight or the PVC pipe taht has been made.  It does not matter as long as that athlete is trying and pushing themselves and improving that is some things as a trainer we look for. 

CrossFit brings a sense of community to each box.  Everyone cheers each other on from start to finish and everyone is happy for each others successes.  That is what CrossFit brings, some may come and go although those who enjoy the atmosphere and those who want to better themselves they keep on coming back for more.  Each day is a new suprise for every WOD.  To see the faces on each athletes face as they walk in and see the board for the days WOD, you see their hearts drop just a little.  When they first see the board the first thought usually is oh this workout will not be so bad.  Then the buzzer sounds and within the first few reps they wonder what have they gotten themselves into.  Once it is all said and done the relief sets in and they are proud of what they have accomplished as they have proved to themselves that they are able to do something that at one time seemed highly unlikely.

On this Saturday we get to introduce the nine functional movements to these athletes.  This is an important part of our training as we can teach the basic movements and proper form.  CrossFit is not like other weight programs where an individual perfects one movement, CrossFit is a fitness program that athletes work to improve each movement.  Perfection is someting many wish to obtain however will not succeed as each movement or rep can be improved in some way.  CrossFit is focused around the entire body and not just a certain body part.  The exitement builds of not knowing what to expect each and everyday at the box.

While working on these nine functional movements we see the athletes going through the motion and they themselves do not know what type of workout they are about to get themselves into.  Going through these nine functional movements does not sound like much of a workout to many looking in from the outside however, once they get in the circle and go through the form with a PVC who knows how many times, their body starts to hurt and the sweat starts to come rolling off their skin.  The movements become part of the challenge as these are movements that individuals do not and are normally not critiqued on during a day to day basis this is what makes the teaching part of the nine functional movements so interesting as those athletes get a workout with just a PVC pipe.  While the PVC pipe could weigh anywhere from 1 to 5 pounds moving that piece of material numerous times is exhausting.  Once the trainers feel comfortable that the athlete has the basic movement down they are then able to move on to the next step.

Week 1: Opening of CrossFit Tolero

On January 2nd, 2012 the doors officially opened for CrossFit Tolero.  With the first day getting ready to start the box was open for anyone to join in on the festivities.  While walking into CrossFit Tolero at the start of the 2012 year, New Years resolutions were about start and be tested.  With the mats on the ground, the cage ready to go, the weights ready, and chalk in the bucket the time has come to see sweat, blood, and some tears. 

The first official work out for CrossFit Tolero is "Baseline." 

• Baseline Requirements
• 500 Meter Row
• 40 Body Squats
• 30 Sit Ups
• 20 Push Ups
• 10 Pull Ups
• For Time

Athletes starring at the clock counting down from 10, and the start of the beeping at 3, 2, 1 and go.  Athletes start out at a fast pace from the start of the beginning of the "Baseline" workout as they have been doing it their whole lives.  The first two athletes hit 150 meters and their row speed starts to slow as now they feel the burning sensation in their leagues and deep breaths start to ensue.

After a few minutes the athletes are done with rowing and ready to start with the 40 body squats.  With their legs tired and sweat dripping from their foreheads, they got 100 more movements to go through before they can yell "Time" meaning the end of the workout for them.  As the competition stands beside them the object of wanting to continue drives them to push themselves harder knowing with each and every rep they are one closer to being done.  You see the relief in the athletes eyes as they finish up the 40 body squats and they are moving on to the next excercise 30 sit ups. 


While they think in their mind that 30 sit ups will be a walk through and time to catch their breaths they get to 10 and they start to struggle, they keep on pushing as they know their counterpart is not stopping either with each repetition.  Once done, on to the 20 chest to floor push ups, the two competitors start off evenly paced and get 3 push ups each, before each allow their knees to touch the floor.  Now the athletes are on the floor gasping for air trying to consume as much oxygen as possible they drudge on in joyful pain knowing they are bettering themselves.  Finally they have reached the final stage of the excercise 10 pull ups and they get to relax. 

The two athletes go to the cage each gasping for air their legs, arms, and lungs burning and sweat falling from their bodies.  The prepare themselves to finish the workout and they start doing 1 pull up and.....they stop their arms no longer have the individual strength to pull themselves up without help.  Trainers come over to assist putting the rubber bands on the athletes legs to help assist them with finishing their final stage of the excercise.  With each pull up you notice it is getting harder and harder and each one.  Trainers yell 1 more and your done, the athletes start grunting as now their entire bodies are exhausted and they reach that final pull up and with little to no breath whisper "Time," meaning the end of their workout and time to recoop.  The two first athletes find themselves lying on their backs on the floor mats breathing hard and sweating all over.  After a few minutes of catching their breaths the athletes get up with a sweat angel of their body imprint left from the pain and sweat that they just suffered through.  They have accomplished the ultimate goal of pushing themselves in a manner that will want them to continue the next day and the next.  They have succeeded.

CrossFit Tolero Mentorship

CrossFit Tolero is located in Gillette, Wyoming and the doors opened on January 2nd, 2012.  Tolero is Latin and means to bear, endure, support, sustain, and suffer.  The owners believed this would be a good fit to an affiliated CrossFit box.  A box is what CrossFit calls their affiliations, or what others outside of the CrossFit world would call a gym.  CrossFit has expanded its image and brand all across the world.  Reebok is the main sponsor of CrossFit as now there are commercials on ESPN promoting that the "New Sport of Fitness Has Arrived."  These commercials are based around the Reebok Zig Technology shoes that Reebok produces.


CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains.

• Cardiovascular Endurance
• Respiratory Endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Agility
• Balance

CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program that combines a wide variety of functional movements into a timed or scored workout.  The CrossFit Program was developed to enhance an individual's competency at all physical tasks.  Our athlete are trained to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and randomized physical challenges.  This fitness is demanded of military and police personnel, firefighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical prowess.  CrossFit has proven effective in these areas.

Aside from the breadth or totality of fitness, the CrossFit program is distinctive, if not unique.  It focuses on maximizing neuroendocrine response, developing power, cross-training with multiple training modalities by using constantly varied functional movements and developing successful nutritional strategies mainly based around the Zone or Paleo diets.

Our athletes are trained to bike, run, swim, and row at short, middle, and long distances guaranteeing exposure and competency in each of the three main metabolic pathways.  We train our athletes in gymnastics from rudimentary to advanced movements garnering great capacity at controlling the body both dynamically and statically while maximizing strength to weight ratio and flexibility.  We also place a heavy emphasis on Olympic Weightlifting having seen this sport's unique ability to develop an athletes' explosive pwer, control of external objects, and mastery of critical motor recruitment patterns.  Overall we encourage and assist our athletes to explore a variety of sports as a vehicle to express and apply their fitness (Adapted from "Foundations"-CrossFit Journal, Glassman).